Thankfully, there is Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is here!

It is such a simple, unflashy holiday. No costumes. No presents. No fireworks. Just food, family, friends, and gratitude. Crushed between Halloween excitement (with candy recovery) and the Christmas rush, it is easy to overlook.

One of my earliest memories of Thanksgiving dinner was running around with my cousins as my grandma fixed Thanksgiving dinner. We would snitch black olives from the dinner table and put them on every one of our fingers. Then we'd eat them one by one.

When we were called to the table, it was loud. Everyone was talking and arguing and laughing. And there was so much food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pie — pumpkin, apple, and pecan.

The first turkey I ever cooked was huge! Well over 22 lbs. I named him Higgins. Why? Because naming a turkey seemed silly and inappropriate, which is all part of the fun. Why Higgins? He was big and seemed a bit posh, like a British butler. He appeared to be a bit full of himself. Literally, I found the giblets and the neck stuffed inside him...

I got so good at making Thanksgiving dinner that I made it for my co-op in college with two turkeys. Not one turkey. Two. I prepped two 20-pound turkeys for a house full of college students who hadn't had a proper home-cooked meal in months.

It was a success. And I was thankful for the experience.

I love that Thanksgiving is special. While I haven't cooked a Thanksgiving meal for a while, and my family gatherings have changed and shrunk over the years, I realize that the tradition of being thankful is still something I can certainly celebrate.

I'm thankful for the memories. I'm thankful for the people who made those memories with me. And I'm thankful that no matter how much things change, the spirit of gratitude remains.

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving — past, present, and future.